Two weeks after the party, I’m back at Job Seekers and for some reason, one corner of the church annex is taken over with Christmas decorations: paper candy canes, a spindly fake tree with sagging strings of white lights, an enormous banner that commands, ‘Keep CHRIST in Christmas!’
This is my last day at Job Seekers, and it does feel a little like Christmas, the end of one thing and maybe the beginning of something better. I’ve come to say goodbye and wish everyone well and I’m surprised that I’m feeling nostalgic. I might actually miss Paulette’s relentless enthusiasm, Randy’s folksy cheer, even Chasen’s tongue ring, which I can hear rapping the back of his teeth as I take the seat next to him. Maybe not the tongue ring. But I’ll miss the camaraderie of shared experience, everyone down in the dirt, our little company knit together by the insanity of performing the same action over and over, each time praying for a different outcome.
Mona may not have started out on her best foot, but after doing everything she was supposed to, she doesn’t understand why nothing is going her way.
Official synopsis:
She's also broke, unemployed, back at home with her parents, and completely adrift in life and love.
Mona is seven months out of college and desperately trying to reassemble the pieces of her life after the Wall Street job she had waiting for her post-graduation dissolves in the wake of the Great Recession. When her reaction to losing her job goes viral and she is publicly branded the "Sad Millennial," Mona begins a downward spiral into self-pity, bitterness, and late-night drunken binges on cat videos. Mona's the sort who says exactly the right thing at absolutely the wrong moments, seeing the world through a cynic's eyes.
Set in suburban Tucson amid the financial and social malaise of the early 2000s, 23-year-old Mona must not only find a job, but quickly learn to navigate the complexities of adult relationships within the black hole of her parents' shattering marriage.
At her mother's urging, Mona grudgingly joins a support group for job seekers, and slowly begins to see that all is not lost, and that perhaps losing the job on Wall Street was a blessing in disguise. She might even learn what it is she finds meaningful in life. The question is:
Will she be brave enough to go after it?
First of all it has to be said: the book was enjoyable, but should have had a cutting warning. The main character’s self-harm was a major feature of the book, but no notices were seen before reading.
With that said, Mona grew more likable as the story went on. As a lifelong overachiever, Mona was not surprised by her invitation to go to Wall Street and join a prestigious firm right out of college. When this opportunity collapsed after she arrived in New York, however, the resulting video gave Mona instant social media recognition, but not in a good way. She was now the "sad millennial."
After excelling through public school and college, she doesn’t expect to have to compromise. She earned her spot as a golden child, right? But eventually life kicks her around enough to point out that she may need to do whatever it takes to have a life that keeps moving forward.
While the story was pretty down in the beginning, by the end it had earned four out of five stars. The book was a front seat journey to Mona learning some important lessons and coming of age as an adult with a financial degree in a struggling economy. It would be enjoyed by those who like coming of age stories, especially with a fun, millennial twist.
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Becki Bayley tries to do the right thing. She is a wife and mother to two amazing kids. In her spare time, she enjoys working overtime for extra income, reading, and building LEGO. Check out details on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.
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